Calcariidae

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Calcariidae
Lapland Longspur (Calcarius lapponicus).jpg
Lapland Longspur (Calcarius lapponicus)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Superfamily: Emberizoidea
Family: Calcariidae
Ridgway, 1901
Genera

Calcarius
Plectrophenax
Rhynchophanes

Calcariidae is a small family of passerine birds. It includes longspurs and snow buntings. There are six species in three genera worldwide, found mainly in North America and Eurasia. They are migratory and can live in a variety of habitats including grasslands, prairies, tundra, mountains, and beaches.

Contents

Description

Members of Calcariidae range in mass from around 20 grams (0.71 oz) (the chestnut-collared longspur) [1] to around 42 grams (1.5 oz) (McKay's bunting). [2] Species have brown, grey, and white plumage, with dark brown or black irises. The legs of the snow bunting and McKay's bunting are dark gray or black, while legs of other species in the family range from dull pink to brown.

Taxonomy

The birds in Calcariidae were formerly assigned to the family Emberizidae (typically known as buntings in the Old World and sparrows in the New World). [3] A 2008 phylogenetic study by Alström and colleagues confirmed that the members of this family form a clade quite separated from the Emberizidae, with affinities instead with the New World warblers (Parulidae), cardinals (Cardinalidae) or tanagers (Thraupidae), though their exact relationships are unclear. [4] They proposed to place them in the tribe Calcariini, [4] but the International Ornithological Congress has placed them in a separate family in 2010. [3] Timing with the cytochrome b DNA suggests that the Calcariidae diverged from a common ancestor around 4.2–6.2 million years ago, around the beginning of the Pliocene, possibly soon after spread of grasslands in North America as the climate in the late Miocene became drier and cooler. [5]

Genera and species

Three genera— Calcarius (longspurs), Plectrophenax (snow-buntings), and Rhynchophanes —are recognised. Genetic analysis with cytochrome b DNA showed that the thick-billed longspur was most closely related to the two snow bunting species, and the three nested within the genus Calcarius. Smith's and the chestnut-collared longspur were each other's closest relatives (sister taxa). [5] The Lapland longspur likely diverged from an ornatus/pictus ancestor near the beginning of the Pliocene (4.4–6.2 million years ago) and the snow and McKay's buntings diverged within the last 100,000–125,000 years. Though they differ in appearance, Smith's and the collared longspurs likely only diverged around 1.5–2 million years ago, around the start of the Pleistocene. [5]

McKay's bunting is sometimes considered a subspecies of the snow bunting, and instances of the two species hybridizing have been reported. [6] However, a 2007 study by Maley and Winker found substantial differences in the juvenile plumage between the two groups, supporting a species-level division. [7] Other members of Calcariidae known to hybridize with each other are the thick-billed longspur and the chestnut-collared longspur. [8]

ImageGenusLiving species
Lapland Longspur - Calcarius lapponicus - Sportittlingur 3.jpg Calcarius Bechstein, 1802
Plectrophenax nivalis1.jpg Plectrophenax Stejneger, 1882
Thick-billed Longspur, Pakowki Lake, Alberta (cropped).jpg Rhynchophanes Baird, 1858

Distribution and habitat

A snow bunting in Alaska. This species breeds mainly in the Arctic tundra and winters in northern temperate areas. Plectrophenax nivalis1.jpg
A snow bunting in Alaska. This species breeds mainly in the Arctic tundra and winters in northern temperate areas.

The range of the family is extensive. Of the six species within the family, the snow bunting and Lapland longspur are found both in both North America and Eurasia; the other four species are found only in North America. [3] The snow bunting breeds in northern latitudes in an extensive breeding range which consists of northern Alaska and Canada, the western and southern coasts of Greenland, and northern Scandinavia and Russia. The snow bunting winters throughout southern Canada and the northern United States in North America, and its Eurasian range includes the northern United Kingdom and a large band extending from Germany west through Poland and Ukraine to Mongolia and China. [9] [10] Additionally, the snow bunting has been recorded as a vagrant to Algeria and Morocco in North Africa, the Balkans, Greece and Turkey, and Malta. [9] The Lapland longspur's range is similar to that of the snow bunting, breeding in northern Canada, Scandinavia, and Siberia, and coastal Alaska and Greenland and wintering in the northern United States and Canada, and in a band between approximately 45° and 55° latitude across Russia, Kazakhstan, China, and Mongolia to the Sea of Japan. [11]

The ranges of the other species in the family are less expansive than those of the snow bunting and the Lapland longspur. McKay's bunting breeds solely on several islands in the Bering Sea, and winters primarily on the western coast of Alaska. Additionally, it has been reported occasionally in the Aleutian Islands, and has been a vagrant in British Columbia in Canada as well as Washington (state) and Oregon in the United States. [2] [12] Smith's longspur breeds in Alaska and northern Canada, and winters in the central southern United States. [13] The chestnut-collared longspur's breeding range consists solely of prairie regions in the northern Great Plains and southern Canadian Prairies, while its winter range extends from the southern United States to central Mexico. [1] The breeding range of the thick-billed longspur is similar to that of the chestnut-collared longspur, but its winter range does not extend as far south, ending in northern Mexico. [14]

Members of Calcariidae generally inhabit open areas, including prairies, plains, shores, farmland, and beaches. [15] Parts of the snow bunting's range include mountainous areas. [16]

Behavior

The diet of species in this family consists of insects, seeds, and grasses. Species are diurnal, and forage by walking and picking up food from the ground. [1] [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snow bunting</span> Species of bird

The snow bunting is a passerine bird in the family Calcariidae. It is an Arctic specialist, with a circumpolar Arctic breeding range throughout the northern hemisphere. There are small isolated populations on a few high mountain tops south of the Arctic region, including the Cairngorms in central Scotland and the Saint Elias Mountains on the southern Alaska-Yukon border, as well as the Cape Breton Highlands. The snow bunting is the most northerly recorded passerine in the world.

Bunting may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rough-legged buzzard</span> Species of bird

The rough-legged buzzard (Europe) or rough-legged hawk is a medium-large bird of prey. It is found in Arctic and Subarctic regions of North America, Europe, and Russia during the breeding season and migrates south for the winter. It was traditionally also known as the rough-legged falcon in such works as John James Audubon's The Birds of America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lapland longspur</span> Species of passerine bird in the longspur family Calcariidae

The Lapland longspur, also known as the Lapland bunting, is a passerine bird in the longspur family Calcariidae, a group separated by most modern authors from the Fringillidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gray-crowned rosy finch</span> Species of bird

The gray-crowned rosy finch or gray-crowned rosy-finch is a species of passerine bird in the family Fringillidae native to Alaska, western Canada, and the north-western United States. Due to its remote and rocky alpine habitat it is rarely seen. There are currently six recognized subspecies. It is one of four species of rosy finches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Longspur</span> Genus of birds

The longspurs, genus Calcarius, are a group of birds in the family Calcariidae. The name refers to the long claw on the hind toe of each foot. The genus formerly included the thick-billed longspur, Rhyncophanes mccownii, which is now placed in a separate genus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chestnut-collared longspur</span> Species of bird

The chestnut-collared longspur is a species of bird in the family Calcariidae. Like the other longspurs, it is a small ground-feeding bird that primarily eats seeds. It breeds in prairie habitats in Canada and the northern United States and winters to the south in the United States and Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thick-billed longspur</span> Species of bird

The thick-billed longspur, also known as McCown's longspur, is a small ground-feeding bird in the family Calcariidae, which also contains the other longspurs and snow buntings. It is found in North America and is the only species in the genus Rhynchophanes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smith's longspur</span> Species of bird

Smith's longspur is a bird from the family Calcariidae, which also contains the other species of longspurs. A bird of open habitats, it breeds in northern Canada and Alaska, and winters in the southern United States. Primarily a ground-feeding seed-eater, it supplements its diet with insects in the summer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McKay's bunting</span> Species of bird

McKay's bunting is a passerine bird in the longspur family Calcariidae. It is most closely related to the snow bunting. Hybrids between the two species have been observed, leading some authorities to treat McKay's as a subspecies of the snow bunting. As the Plectrophenax buntings are nested within the Calcarius clade, their closest relatives are the longspurs. McKay's bunting breeds on two islands in the Bering Sea, St. Matthew and Hall islands, and winters on the western coast of the U.S. state of Alaska.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harris's sparrow</span> Species of bird

Harris's sparrow is a large sparrow. Their breeding habitat is the north part of central Canada, making it Canada's only endemic breeding bird. In the winter they migrate to the Great Plains states of the United States, from southern South Dakota to central Texas. The common name of this species commemorates the American amateur ornithologist Edward Harris (1799–1863).

<i>Plectrophenax</i> Genus of birds

Plectrophenax is a small genus of passerine birds of the longspur family Calcariidae.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Hill, Dorothy P.; Gould, Lorne K. "Chestnut-collared Longspur". The Birds of North America Online. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
  2. 1 2 Montgomery, Robert; Lyon, Bruce. "McKay's Bunting". The Birds of North America Online. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 Gill F, Donsker D (30 June 2013). "Tanagers, Cardinals and allies". IOC World Bird List: Version 3.4. International Ornithologists’ Union. Archived from the original on 2013-09-28. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
  4. 1 2 Alström P, Olsson U, Lei F, Wang HT, Gao W, Sundberg P (2008). "Phylogeny and classification of the Old World Emberizini (Aves, Passeriformes)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 47 (3): 960–73. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2007.12.007. PMID   18411062.
  5. 1 2 3 Klicka, John; Zink, Robert M.; Winke, K. (2003). "Longspurs and snow buntings: phylogeny and biogeography of a high-latitude clade (Calcarius)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 26 (2): 165–75. doi:10.1016/S1055-7903(02)00360-3. PMID   12565028.
  6. ↑ Sealy, Spencer G. (1969). "Apparent Hybridization between Snow Bunting and McKay's Bunting on St. Lawrence Island, Alaska". The Auk. 86 (2): 350–351. doi: 10.2307/4083511 . JSTOR   4083511.
  7. ↑ Maley, James M.; Winker, Kevin (2007). "Use of Juvenal Plumage in Diagnosing Species Limits: An Example Using Buntings in the Genus Plectrophenax". The Auk. 124 (3): 907–915. doi: 10.1642/0004-8038(2007)124[907:UOJPID]2.0.CO;2 . JSTOR   25150346. S2CID   86366179.
  8. ↑ MacDonald, Christie A.; Martin, Tracy; Ludkin, Rick; Hussell, David J.T.; Lamble, David; Love, Oliver P. (2012). "First Report of a Snow Bunting × Lapland Longspur Hybrid" (PDF). Arctic. 65 (3): 344–348. doi:10.14430/arctic4222.
  9. 1 2 BirdLife International (2016). "Plectrophenax nivalis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T22721043A89345729. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22721043A89345729.en . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  10. ↑ Montgomerie, Robert; Lyon, Bruce. "Snow Bunting". The Birds of North America Online. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
  11. 1 2 Hussell, David J.; Montgomerie, Robert. "Lapland Longspur". The Birds of North America Online. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
  12. ↑ BirdLife International (2020). "Plectrophenax hyperboreus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2020: e.T22721046A137357547. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T22721046A137357547.en . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  13. ↑ Briskie, James V. "Smith's Longspur". The Birds of North America Online. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved 5 August 2013.
  14. ↑ With, Kimberley A. "McCown's Longspur". The Birds of North America Online. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved 5 August 2013.
  15. ↑ Kaufman, Kenn (2011). Kaufman Field Guide to Advanced Birding: Understanding what You See and Hear. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. p. 433. ISBN   978-0547248325.
  16. ↑ Mobley, Jason A. (2008). Birds of the World. Marshall Cavendish. pp. 580–81. ISBN   978-0761477754.
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